


Pull Your Sore Ribs In

by foibles_fables



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Ava is a puppy, Episode: s01e08 Proverbs 14:1, F/F, For Science!, Gay yearning, Touching, everything is gay, mostly humor but also a couple feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25233010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foibles_fables/pseuds/foibles_fables
Summary: In which Ava gets her hands on Sister Beatrice (for science!). [1x08, mostly crack, forgive me my sins]
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 50
Kudos: 733





	Pull Your Sore Ribs In

**Author's Note:**

> There's a WIP I need to be working on but this entered my brain and wouldn't leave it, so please, take it off my hands. Just another quick little one. Two hours of my life gone, and now this, clogging up the Avatrice tag! Hope someone enjoys it!

During her fourth trek through the twenty feet of Arq-Tech Concrete Horror, Ava feels herself about to emerge on the other side of the barrier, ready to burst through with a victorious _whoop_ and exaggerated fist pump.

But when her field of vision clears, back in the lab, the gesture falls short - because Sister Beatrice is standing there in front of her, grimacing, grasping at her ribs with the opposite-side hand. It’s a subtle expression, to be sure, but vulnerable enough on a usually-stoic face to give her pause. And it’s not the first time Ava’s seen this sort of face on her today, so she’s kind of vigilant to it already.

And she finally wants to be here, with them. She’s ready for it. So of course she’s going to address it. That’s what sisters did, right? Boil festooning, heads in bags, apparently. Kind of gross. This is something that she didn’t learn in St. Michael’s, along with basically all the rest. But she can try.

“Hey.” Ava lets her arms settle to her sides instead of flailing like she had intended. Beatrice looks up at the address, and it’s spooky how quick most of the frailty dissipates, though she’s still wincing just a bit around the eyes. “Hey, not to be selfish, but can’t help but notice that you’re kinda putting a damper on my great success here. Are you alright? What happened?”

Beatrice, of course, just shakes her head, already moving through the apparent ache to usher Ava to attempt number five. “It’s nothing - bruised rib. Just a bit of a spasm. It’ll go away in a moment.”

“What did you manage to do to your rib in _here_?” Ava glances all around the brightly-lit lab. “Not too much danger afoot.” She’s probably wrong, really, but it’s what comes out of her mouth so she’s gotta stick with it.

“It’s an old injury,” Beatrice explains in that calm, measured voice, though she’s clearly suppressing a mighty urge to roll her eyes at Ava’s comment. “I must’ve aggravated it when I caught you bodily that first time you came through.” Ava deadpans at the way Beatrice raises a single eyebrow. “We can’t all heal as quickly as you, remember. Some of us need to let things happen the old-fashioned way.”

“The way God intended?” Ava grins. Beatrice _does_ roll her eyes this time. “Okay, yeah. Bad joke. Bad God joke. I’m chock-full of them! Glad they’re finally coming in handy.” She pauses. “But, uh, yeah. Is there anything I can do? For the rib. I want to help.”

Beatrice laughs in that breathy, stilted way that Ava recognizes as a laugh of appeasement, a bridge to move on to the next productive thing. “I assure you, I’m more than fine. I can handle a bit of pain. Now, quit wasting time. Let’s get back to work. The wall awaits.” She motions back to the far side of the thick blocks that look so odd in that sterile room.

Ava sighs and drags her feet back to her starting point. Beatrice follows.

But then, Ava has an idea. One of those ones that slams into her with reckless abandon. Slams into her like a concrete wall.

“I have an idea.”

“An idea?” Beatrice seems unconvinced that this isn’t just idle conversation to avoid diving into the blocks.

Ava nods. “So, before I was, like, solidly ready for all of this, I came here and asked Dr. Salvius to science me.”

There’s that eyebrow again.

“ _Science_ you.”

“Yes, science me.”

“I’m not entirely certain that’s a verb, but go on.”

Ava knows it’s not a verb. But still.

“Well, she had me give a summary of what the Halo did for me. Like, what it lets me do. The phasing, the super strength, the explosions of energy, all of it. The healing, too. She asked me if I could heal others as well as myself. I told her I couldn’t, not yet, at least.” Ava shrugs, and she’s glad Beatrice is sharp enough to keep up with her train of thought. “But now I’m thinking - what if that’s something I’ll be able to do, eventually? What if I can do it now? I’m already getting better at the whole phasing thing. Maybe I could try it on your rib.”

Beatrice almost laughs. Almost.

“That’s hardly necessary, Ava.” She shakes her head. “I appreciate your concern, truly, I do. But I don’t-”

“Come on!” Ava gripes, excited exasperation sneaking in. “Let me give it a try. Make me feel useful. And I know you want to be part of helping to see how this thing works for me, Sister Analytical Intellect. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Beatrice doesn’t answer that particular question. Just looks askance at nothing in particular across the lab, shoulders drooping, eyes drooping in a slow brink, like she’s making a decision against her better judgement.

“Very well.” Her voice decidedly does not match Ava’s enthusiasm. “You get thirty seconds to try. Then it’s back to it. I think you’re just trying to distract me from the task at hand.”

“Cool!” Ava calms her vindicated outburst and tries again, but allows the grin to remain. “Cool. Okay. Lift up your arm.”

Beatrice does, barely, and it’s the most awkwardly reluctant motion Ava has ever seen. But she’s too pumped to really consider any of it, still riding the high of her fourth successful phase. She reaches over and gently places her palm where Beatrice’s own had just been.

Only for Beatrice to cringe away from the contact almost violently.

“Oh. Uh, sorry. Did that hurt? Did I press too hard or something?”

“No,” Beatrice replies quickly, sounding nearly strangled. “It’s a bit tender, but no. I’m just...not really accustomed to being touched.”

And in that moment, Ava understands. And she knows, too. More than half a lifetime without touch, without the proper feeling of it. A lifetime of avoiding it from others. Both without the comfort of it. And it tugs at her heart but also reminds her of just how similar they all seem to be, here, getting underneath everything layer by layer.

“I get it,” she says to Beatrice, softly. “If you’re uncomfortable, just say so. It’s really no big deal.”

“Just try if you’re so adamant about trying.” Beatrice sighs, looking at the ceiling. “You’re down to twenty seconds, now.”

Ava touches her, and though she feels the muscle there tense, Beatrice does not pull away this time.

So Ava uses her own muscles, straining and flexing different ones to tap into the Halo’s power, gasping as she feels it jolt awake, trying to pull it through herself and into Beatrice’s side. She’s not sure what she’s doing. When she heals herself, it’s automatic. It’s a warm feeling, though, when it happens, so warm, all-consuming and swirling from somewhere deep. She thinks about the feeling so hard it makes her head throb, trying to manifest the power from the wisps of sensation. She’s trying, she’s _really_ trying, she’s trying so hard for them.

She needs them to see how hard she’s trying.

And she can feel Beatrice’s ribs under her hand, expanding and shrinking with quickened breath. Ava could count them if she needed to, the ribs and the breath. Beatrice is strong and fit and lean and powerful. The way her body feels shouldn’t be surprising but it is, especially with her chest heaving like it is now. She hopes it’s working. Maybe it’s working. She could always just ask.

“Do you feel anything?” she chokes out through a clenched jaw, her body shaking with its efforts.

“ _No_ ,” Beatrice answers in a quick hiss, too quick, just as strained as Ava, sucking her teeth and keeping her eyes pointed up.

Ava pulls back, not wanting to waste the power, and it takes much more exertion to do so than she thought it would. As she does, Beatrice finally meets her gaze, something intense pulsing from their depths. They’re both panting.

It’s a ridiculous sight.

Silence overruns than the allotted twenty seconds. Maybe even minutes. She feels the Halo regaining its strength as they stand there, looking at and away from each other in a seemingly random pattern.

Ava manages to speak first.

“So...nothing?”

Beatrice swallows, touches her side. “Nothing,” she finally confirms. Ava deflates. “Well, I dunno. Maybe it’s a bit better?” Definitely just meant to appease, Ava knows. “It’s...it’s hard to tell.” Her brow wrinkles.

Ava chuckles, biting her lip in chagrin. “Nah. It didn’t work. It’s fine. Maybe that’s just one superpower the Halo hasn’t _bestowed_ upon me.”

Beatrice’s eyes glimmer, then. “Maybe eventually. You’re working hard.”

It feels warm.

“Yeah. Maybe eventually.”

Beatrice points at the concrete. Ava rolls her eyes and faces it.

But she speaks again before she breaks the barrier.

“Hey.” Ava turns, smiles. Beatrice glances up from the tablet. “Thanks for letting me try it. For science. And, uh, _faith_ , I guess.”

Beatrice smiles back at her, exasperated but also playful, a tight-lipped little smile. “For science, and faith,” she murmurs. Then it’s back to the tablet.

Ava takes a deep, steadying breath and phases headlong into the concrete.

But in that instant before she does, just from the corner of her eye, she sees Beatrice’s expression change into something completely different.


End file.
